Surprising fact: A professional photoshoot is … a collaboration!

When you take photos of people (selfies included) they are often just a click of the camera or cameraphone button. Hence the associated words, a ‘snap’ or ‘click’.

A professional photoshoot is different in many ways. One way in which it varies massively is the collaboration between the photographer and the subject or sitter. And the markedly different approach an experienced professional will take.

And so I was very puzzled at the initial premise of this short film when it first came out. They suggest that 6 different photographers show 1 man in 6 very different lights. What they downplay is that the man is acting very different roles each time.

“I’m gob-smacked that everyone is surprised.”

A photograph is shaped more by …

Published in November 2015, “‘Decoy’ is one of six experiments from The Lab, designed to shift creative thinking behind the lens.” They go on to say “A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what’s in front of it. To prove this we invited six photographers to a portrait session with a twist.” Intriguing, I thought.

However, the brief given to each of the 6 photographers is different. The man is said to be 1) a recovering alcoholic 2) a millionaire 3) a psychic, and so on. He then, important piece of information here, plays out 6 different roles. one to each of the 6 different photographers.

Six different photographers, six different characters

Suggesting that each photographer sees different things didn’t make sense. The photographer did see different things, but only because the man was presenting and acting out 6 very different characters!

Er … it seemed a little disingenuous to suggest anything different.

Prejudice

However, just recently it’s popped up again, with this pre-amble. “When you hold preconceived thoughts and beliefs this can manifest itself in sometimes ugly ways and at the very least can skew your judgement. I think at some stage in our lives we have all been guilty of holding unjust prejudices against people for no particular reason other than something we have been told about them.”

Seemingly suggesting that the photographers concerned are prejudiced (!). Yes, correct they are briefed about the individual beforehand and then have 10 minutes with him. However, the important thing is that the subject plays out the role of 6 different characters.

‘Hello’ collaboration

At least, it raises the opportunity to flag how important the briefing is. And how both the photographer and client play their parts in creating the end result.

Professional scenarios

As mentioned, typical photos are often a quick click of a button.

Now, stepping into a professional scenario, in any line of business, service or engagement, what do people do before seeing how they can help? Typically the client/customer/patient is asked what they are wanting, looking to achieve/needing or what the issue is.

In short, the specialist engages with the person. They can sometimes do their ‘homework’ before meeting the client/patient. This isn’t always possible. Even if they did, they would take on board any information presented.

The same happens with a professional portrait photoshoot. It’s no different. To get the most out of it, a pre-brief is essential. And collaboration is vital.

Collaboration is vital

Everyone is different and yes, a photographer, as per this film clip (as you hear them say) is working to get to the know the person and bring out who they are.

Show up as 6 different personae and, guess what, you’ll get 6 different results.

Creating a good business profile photo of you

If you’re looking for to create a good result from a business photoshoot, think of it in the same way you would go about writing your CV or a customer-facing document:

1) What is it you want to present about who you are? What’s your story? What’s your USP? For example, do you want to come across as a young energetic creative entrepreneur, a serious hard-hitting negotiator, a customer-friendly professional or something totally different again? Or all of these?

2) Who are you expecting to see this photo? Who is your target audience? e.g. Is it for a profile photo for LinkedIn, social media, your website, internal company directory, as a starting point.

A good advisor will take guide you through this and draw out even more.

The briefing is therefore key, a few days before, ideally a week before the shoot to allow you to prepare!

For more top tips on your business profile photo:

Join us for How to make right first impression, putting your best foot forward, Small Business Saturday #Inspire workshop series at Somerset House or tune in on 15th August, 2017 at 11 a.m. More details and info here.